Which of the following statements is true?
A.
Any quadratic equation can be solved by completing the square.
B.
Completing the square always gives two distinct solutions.
C.
You can’t complete the square if there is no constant in the equation.
D.
You can only use completing the square when the x-term in the equation is even.
4 answers
I betcha I can solve any quadratic equation by completing the square.
But isn't it also true that you can't complete the square if there is no constant?
e.g.
x^2 - 6x = 0
add 9 to both sides
x^2 - 6x + 9 = 9
(x-3)^2 = 9
x-3 = ±3
x = 3 ± 3 = 6 or 0
check:
by factoring,
x(x-6) = 0
x = 0 or x = 6 , as above
x^2 - 6x = 0
add 9 to both sides
x^2 - 6x + 9 = 9
(x-3)^2 = 9
x-3 = ±3
x = 3 ± 3 = 6 or 0
check:
by factoring,
x(x-6) = 0
x = 0 or x = 6 , as above
Which of the following statements is not true about completing the square?
1 answer